Grip-gear for cable street-railroads



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. HELM.

GRIP GEAR POR GABLBSTREET RAILROADS.

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J. HELM.

GRIPGEAR FOB. CABLE STREET RAILROADS.

Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

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J. HELM.

GRIP GEARv POR GABLESTRBET RAILROADS.

No. 894,855. Patented Deo. 18, 1888.v

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(No Mod-e1.) 4 sheetssheen 4. J. HELM.

GRIP GEAR EoR CABLE STREET RAILROADS. r No. 394,855. Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

l l L- L- IINTTED STATES PATENT Ormes.

JOHNr HELM, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS HELM, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GRIP-GEAR FOR CABLE STR-EET-RAILROADS.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,855, dated December 18, 1888.

Application tiled April 9, 1888. Serial No. 270,089. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HELM, a citizen of the United States, residing' at the city ot' Omaha, Douglas county, Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grip- Gear for Gable Street-Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention is a modification of the invention described in Letters Patent No. 385,930,1iearing date July 10, 1888, granted to me for improvements in gripgear for cable street railroads. The modiiieation consists in substituting' a fork-shaped yoke carried by u pright slidin bars depending along' the outer sides of the two jaws of the grip, combined with rollers mounted on spindles between the forks ot' the yoke and corresponding' rollers along the lower hooked portion of the swinging' jaw, for the rectangular-shaped yoke with its comiecting cross-bars, combined with the concave ends ot' the upright sliding' bars and the lower concave bearingsurface in the swinging jaw described and claimed in the above-mentioned patent.

The remaining' parts of the grip and the operating mechanism and the means of connection to the car are similar in all respects to the corresponding' parts described and illustrated in said patent, the whole operated in such manner that on turning the screw in one direction the upright sliding bars are lowered, carrying along' with them in this movement the fork-shaped yoke, which closes the swinging' jaw upon the fixed jaw and the intermediate inlying cable, the rollers of the yoke being' lowered at the same time upon the cable and gripping' the same against the corresponding rollers of 'the swinging jaw.

On the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation, partly broken away, of my mod iii ed gri p when closed or gripping the cable; Fig. 2, a transversesection on line 1 l in Fig. l; Fig. 3, an end view thereof; Fig. 4, an inside elevation of one side or fork ot' the yoke, seen to the left of Fig. 2 detached; Fig. 5, a transverse section following line 1 1 in Fig'. l of the grip when fully open for dropping' the cable; Fig. l5, an end view thereof; Fig. 7, an inside elevation of the other side or fork of the yoke, seen to the right of Fig. 2; and Fig. 8,lan end View thereof. Fig'. 9 is a side elevation of the grip with its connected operating` mechanism an d showing' connection to floor of ear, like letters of reference denotingl like parts in all the figures.

The modified grip is composed of the fixed and swing jaws (ly d, which, with their respective slots 71 /zf and inclined ledges i, are similar in every respect to the corresponding' parts in the said patent, except thatin lieu of the concave bed along' the lower hooked portion, e, of the swing-jaw d a series of rollers, f', for receiving the lower surface ol the cable l) are substituted. K

The jaws d d are carried vertically by the side bars, S, and central bar, .5, ot' the gripframe between the two sides or forks of a forkshaped yoke, g', which is attached at its upper part or shank tothe upright sliding' bars in. of the grip-gear. In the lower part of the yoke g', midway between its sides or forks and in the space between the jaws c (l, are pivoted a series of vertically-arranged rollers, yz, correspondin in number and distance apart with ythe slots 7L L of the jaws d (l, and having' the lower parts of their peripheries in a plane parallel-with the cable b. The spindles k of these rollers i have their bearings in lugs Z', which project from the Vinsides of the yoke g and occupy the slots 7L 7L of the jaws (t d. The spindles /u act as stays to the forks of the yoke g', one of said forks on the side of the swing-jaw (l having bottom notches, g2, and inner splayed recesses, g3, for respectively efn fecting the inward and permitting the ontward movement of the swing-jawd on its fulcrum, as hereinafter more particularly referred to.

The sliding bars m, side bars, s, and central bar, s', are connected with the operating' mechanism and grip-frame,which are located above the lioor of the car. The operating meehchanism of the grip and the grip-frame, and the means for dropping the cable and recoverin g' the same, are similar in construction and operation to the analogous parts described in said patent, and need no further description. All of these parts are clearly shown in Fig. 9. The grip is secured to Hoor of the car in any suitable manner.

In the operation of my modified form of grip, the various parts being' in such relative posi- IOO tions that the grip with its traine is at the normal level. for gripping the Cable l), which is running over the peripheries of the rollers j" in the swing-jaw (l, the latterbeingI somewhat open in the direetion shown in Fig. 5, or in its normal position for releasing the grip on the eahle without dropping the latter, on rotating the operating-serew hy its handle in one direction the sliding hars nl, will be lowered, and, Carrying with thein the 'forked yoke y', the shoulders of the notehes .rl/'2 will ride over the lower inclined ledges iol" the slots 71. and so constrain the swing-jawll toward the iixed jaw (L until the shoulders ol the notehes q2 reaeh the Vertieal outer surt'aee of the swingjaw d, when the latter will he lnlly closed against the fixed jaw a, as seen in lfigs, 2 and 3, and eoinpress the springs L. Simultaneously the peripheries ot' the rollers yi, earried by the yoke g', are lowered upon and grip the cable l; against the periplnnies ot' the rollers f in the swing-jaw (I.

On rotating the serew in the opposite direetion the rollers i ot' the yoke g will he raised from the eahle l), `and the shoulders ot' the notches g2, leaving the vertical surt'aee of the swing-j aw (l, will enter the depressions formed hy the .inclined ledges z', and th erehyallow the swing-jaw rl to he thrown outward to the extent allowed hy the splayed recesses g3 on its fiilernin by the sprin b into its original position, or so as to release the grip from the cable l). VWhen it isreqniretfl to drop the eahle I) clear of the grip, the sliding hars m and forked yoke y are further raised hy the screw so as to allow the swing-jaw (l tohe toreed hy the springs b into the position shown in Figs. 5 and Il, when the eahle I; will drop i'roin the rollers f. rlhe niethoi'l oi` reeoveri n th e eahle l) after heing dropped and raising;l the entire ineehanisin again to its normal level is tho saine as that deserilied in the said patent.

n orepresentlinks,which are coupled, respectively, at one end to the ends olf the jaws d d, and at their other ends to each other t'or insuring the positive dropping ol' the cable l) as the swing-jaw opens, by eo]istraining` the cable Yb to leave the rollers f on the swing jaw (l, reaehii'ig the position seen in Figs. 5 and l5.

I claim- In a eahleaoad grip-gear, the combination ot' a tixed jaw, fr, earried hy grip-traino on ear, swing-jaw d, hinged to iXed jaw (l and having rollersf, slots l1, I, l'orniedthrough said jaws, and having reeesses i, lork(i d yoke y', (carried hy sliding hars nl, and having inner projeeting lugs l', lower notches, 1(je, and splayed reeesses y, with rollers i nlounted on spindles r, and springs l1', sulistantiall)7 as and t'or the. purpose deseri hed.

.lOllN HELM..

VWitnesses:

W. E. L. PEM-ien, WM. RosENBnooK, 

